Arrogate Proves Much The Best In Inaugural Pegasus World Cup

Juddmonte Farms' Arrogate overcame a difficult inside post position, stalking the early leaders and powering away cleanly in the inaugural running of the world's richest horse race, the $12 million Pegasus World Cup. Despite coming eye-to-eye with Horse of the Year California Chrome down the backstretch, 4-year-old Arrogate was able to make his move around the far turn and romp by 4 3/4 lengths; California Chrome finished ninth after being hung wide on the first turn. Trainer Bob Baffert was emotional after the race, relaying that he won his first Grade 1 at Gulfstream Park. This time, the son of Unbridled's Song covered nine furlongs in 1:47.61 over the fast main track, coming to the wire just off the track record under jockey Mike Smith. Race creator Frank Stronach finished second with Shaman Ghost.

“He broke well, as well as he could,” Baffert said. “He just ran his race. I kept waiting for the matchup with Chrome, but he just didn't bring his race today. It's too bad.”

“There's a tremendous excitement for us to build up the rematch with California Chrome,” said Juddmonte's Garrett O'Rourke. “We're so proud to have a horse like Arrogate.”

As expected, Noble Bird took out for the early lead after a tremendous break from the gate. California Chrome appeared to be a bit slow from the gate in his outside post position (12), and Arrogate broke about as well as could be expected for a horse of his size. Mike Smith hustled Arrogate up to a spot just off the heels of Noble Bird, saving ground along the rail, while California Chrome had to expend a good deal of energy to rush toward the lead in the short run to the first turn. As the turn began, California Chrome was six paths off the rail, and as he continued to increase his speed, that path only decreased to being four-wide through the rest of the turn.

Neolithic also demonstrated great speed from the gate, ending up on the outside of Noble Bird in second as Arrogate was comfortably settled in third on the rail. Noble Bird set a first quarter fraction of :23.46. California Chrome made it to even terms with Arrogate at the top of the backstretch, and the two champions traveled stride for stride as they galloped along, tracking the leader through a half-mile in :46.14. Smith noted in his post-race interview that he could see jockey Victor Espinoza having to ask California Chrome to keep pace in the middle of the backstretch, and at that point said he began to believe that the big chestnut hadn't brought his “A-game” to the world's richest race.

“All this time, if (Mike Smith) could have been talking to me, telling me ‘don't worry Bob,' I'd have been a lot cooler,” joked Baffert after the race. The Hall of Fame trainer was concerned that if California Chrome were at his best, that Espinoza would have been able to trap Arrogate down on the rail approaching the far turn, delaying his final rally.

It was not to be. California Chrome dropped back just a bit just as Neolithic moved up to challenge Noble Bird, leaving room for Smith to tip Arrogate out and begin unleashing the gray colt's massive stride. Within a few jumps, Arrogate was even with Noble Bird and Neolithic, traveling three-wide to mark six furlongs in 1:09.80.

“Once I got out going into the far turn I knew we were going to be very tough to beat,” said Smith. “He had a lot of run today and I was very happy. As far as winning the world's richest race, I'm absolutely numb.”

Instead of rallying, California Chrome continued to lose ground through the turn. Espinoza tipped him to the outside and asked him for run a couple more times, but, receiving no visible response, the jockey intelligently wrapped up on the horse, thus saving California Chrome for his breeding career.

Meanwhile, Arrogate had blown past his rivals in the last part of the far turn, hitting the stretch an easy two-length leader. Smith never had to raise a hand as the immensely talented colt strode toward the wire with his ears pricked, flying home the record-setting winner of the world's richest horse race in just his seventh career start.

“I had a perfect trip,” said jockey Jose Ortiz, up on Shaman Ghost. “That's what we wanted to do, kind of be in the second group mid-pack and it worked out well. When I saw California Chrome at the half-mile pole getting done, I knew I had a good chance to run second or maybe win, but Arrogate drew off so I knew I got second. My horse was running really, really hard underneath of me and I couldn't get even close. In the end, [Arrogate jockey] Mike [Smith] wrapped up but it was a huge effort by my horse. I'm really, really impressed with how he ran. It was my first time on him and it was a great training job by Mr. Jerkens. I have to thank Mr. [Frank] Stronach and Jimmy for giving me this opportunity.”

The lightly-raced Neolithic ran a big race in holding on to finish third, while Keen Ice rallied from very far back to be fourth.

“For Neolithic we wanted to establish some position into the first turn and we wanted possibly to make the lead if he could the right way. When he didn't we thought he got into the spot we needed to be. I thought he ran really well,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “Keen Ice got a little further back than we wanted. It seemed like it took him awhile to get on track. Finally in the last eighth of a mile he finished up well. It was one of things we were concerned about him was Gulfstream at a mile and eighth is probably not his perfect distance. He really is a mile and a quarter horse. It takes him awhile to get going. But I think he ran really well.”

War Story and Noble Bird followed the first four across the wire. California Chrome faded to ninth, beaten 29 1/2 lengths.

“California Chrome just wasn't himself today; he didn't break well,” said trainer Art Sherman. “But down the backstretch he had a chance, and no excuses.

“It's been an unbelievable journey with him, even in defeat. You have such a good run. Not every horse can keep the record up like he has.”

Back at Barn 2 after the race, California Chrome was cooling out and making laps around the shed row. According to TVG's Mike Joyce, Sherman said that the horse looked a bit off in his right front, but that it didn't appear to be anything serious. Plans were laid to have California Chrome examined once he arrives in Kentucky on Sunday.

“He faded by the half-mile pole,” Espinoza said of California Chrome. “I was pretty much done by that point, but the whole race he never really got into the race. I sent him from there to get position but I didn't want to get too wide, and I was perfect. I was just third and so nice and at the five-eighths pole I didn't feel like I had that power. There wasn't enough gas in there. He was empty. I hope he's OK.”

California Chrome was in the midst of an undefeated, record-setting season in 2016 until young upstart Travers winner Arrogate bested him in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Still, California Chrome is a two-time Horse of the Year, and holds the current record for richest North American racehorse in history with earnings of more than $14 million prior to Saturday's race. The son of modest parents was expected to make the Pegasus World Cup the final race of his career before retiring to part-owner Taylor Made Farm for stallion duty, where he will stand the 2017 season for a fee of $40,000.

Arrogate, on the other hand, jumped straight from allowance company to G1 competition with his effort in the 2016 Travers, where the son of Unbridled's Song broke a 37-year-old track record and won by more than 13 lengths. His next race wasn't until the Breeders' Cup Classic, in which a clever ride by jockey Mike Smith beat Victor Espinoza and California Chrome late in the stretch. Though he was not voted Horse of the Year, Arrogate was awarded the honor of Longines World's Best Racehorse in 2016, besting his chestnut rival once again.

Overall, Arrogate has won his last six races, compiling earnings of over $11 million. As California Chrome heads toward retirement, Arrogate appears poised to pick up his mantle as the world's top dirt handicap horse. Should Arrogate stay in consistent training after his Pegasus effort, it would not be impossible for him to make the $10 million Dubai World Cup in March, where a win would allow him to pass California Chrome's earnings record.

Bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farm, Arrogate was a $560,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling sale. His only loss came in his first career start.

The Pegasus World Cup is the first race of its kind, allowing owners to purchase one of 12 slots in the starting gates at a price tag of $1 million apiece. Across the field, some owners entered their own horses, some made deals with the owners of other horses, and still others purchased all or part of a new horse to enter it in the world's richest race. One of the other unique aspects of the race is that each of the slot-holders get a piece of the proceeds on the day, from wagering and media rights and even ticket sales. This year's owners also get the first chance to buy a slot for the 2018 edition of the Pegasus World Cup.

Preliminary reports indicate that a new wagering record was set at Gulfstream, totaling more than $40 million on the day.

Great horse Arragate, Great horse California Chrome! Welcome to the Hall of Fame Arragate and California Chrome! Enjoy your retirement CC and can’t wait to see Arragate running in person.

Mr J

It’s ArrOgate. Get it right. He’s too good to have his name misspelled

Lehane

You mean ‘misspelt’

Mr J

Maybe in your country

we’re watching

Both are correct. Yours is older and British,his is newer and Americanized.

Gotchagold

Sorry Mr. J. Don’t usually miss those things, but my life is much better with you out there looking over my shoulder! Annnnd no matter how you spell his name, he’s GGGGreat!

Royden Lippincott

Wow! Just wow!

ccc703las

Would he have beaten John Henry?–

Bristling

For fun

lastromantibune

yes in a gallop. and JH was always one of my favorite horses to watch in person. flew to NY one year to watch the Turf Classic against Win and All along

cgriff

On dirt, maybe – but on turf – John was tougher than nails on turf and had a stride every bit as perfect and long as Arrogate’s.

redo

Who would ever think BB would get a horse (afraid to say it) superior to AP.
Incredibly tremendous……but not surprising.

lastromantibune

and he deserves it.

Meydan Rocks

And he picked the horse out himself. ( with some blood stock advice of course). Insane!

A penny for your thoughts

Well, let’s see, 10 out of 11 owners just lost a lot of cash today since Stronach’s horse ran second and he owns the joint.

How successful can this race be down the road when it’s a lopsided event with the favorite dominating easily…

$35 million bucks in handle overall for GP today. Not too bad for a sport that’s considered to be “dying” by casino
“experts”

turffan

Early on it was talked about that stakeholders shared in the handle. Not sure if that’s the case or not but if true then they should break even at least.

Wild Oats

I think you’re correct.

Ridem777

Your dum

LongTimeEconomist

The entire card or just the Pegasus?

turffan

Boy it’s been a year since I’ve heard anyone really mention it but I think it was just the Pegasus (& posidon??). D rf was throwing around the 15-16 million in est. handle.

turffan

I gotta say have no clue what the final stakeholder agreement looked like, that’s a good question for Ray!

Jay

If the stakeholders receive GP’s share of the overall handle (40,000.000), it would mean those who finished fourth through twelfth would be out about 650,0 each. I don’t know if any amount of tweaking can make this an attractive gamble for anyone with the exception of Frank Stronach.

turffan

I’ll take your word on that,the story’s been updated & there is indeed more than just the purse. It will be interesting to hear stakeholders comments about the experience. Some changes are bound to happen in the future.

Meydan Rocks

Jay –

These owners spend 500k on a single yearling at the sales. You buy 2 -4 yearlings a season and three become busts with one average runner and you’re losing more money than the Pegasus cost you. And then all these creative partnerships have no doubt yielded some business relationships that will produce returns beyond the Pegasus’ arena.

Being that most if not all the participating owners have primary businesses not called horses, The Pegasus became an instant smorgasbord of potential future smashes in multiple arenas.

And then who knows what these guys can write off Hello R&D.

Lawrence R

$40 million reported. The race came off as planned and seems to have been a great success. Next year could be even more interesting . Don’t feel sorry for any of the owners
what any of them may have lost was no more than pocket change.
to them. Personally I doubt any of them are going to lose $$$ in the long end.

OopsyDaisy3

Yep, i bet Gulf Stream had to order 2 Loomis trucks to pick up the loot today.
And a good portion is all for him what with his horse coming in second in
addition to all the other money producing venues.

Lawrence R

I don’t under stand your comment regarding Frank Stronach . Do you really think he set up the race to make $$$. The loot as you put it was not in cash. Most of the money wagered probably was electronically handled.
I sort of get the impression that you either don’t like him or are green with jealously. His horse had no more advantage than any other horse in the race. He put a ton of his own $$$ into the race just to make sure it went off successfully.Originally he was willing to buy 3 shares at a cost of 3 million. When demand was evident he just took just 1 share.. I cannot understand why anyone wants to criticize this man. He doesn’t need the
money and never needed the $$$, What he is trying to do is revive a sport that he cares about .The Pegasus Race was an attempt to enliven interest in horse racing and I think it made some contribution to this aim. Some times it”s not all about the money, believe it or not.

OopsyDaisy3

Lawrence, calm down. The man tried to do something innovating.
I did not say one word negative about Mr. Stronach unless mentioning his horse came in second, he got a couple million back on his expenditures.
I just did not notice that the stands were filled, at least not from the shots i saw. This race was advertised with Arrogate and California Chrome being the main contenders, though i was hoping Keen Ice would have a chance.
I wish there were more Frank Stronach’s across the country. As it is much is expected from a few and they cannot carry it all by themselves.
My son’s name is Lawrence , so was my dad’s and our last name starts with an R.
P. S. I love watching the races from Gulf Stream and you have a beautiful race place.

Lawrence R

I apologize. In my defense I did say ,I did not understand your comment.It’s true I do get riled up when people attack Stronach,the man who saved Santa Anita from the bulldozers. I love that track. Do have a nice day, we are on the same page.

OopsyDaisy3

I understand Lawrence and admire your allegiance to the sport and those who support it. I was able to capture the entire park with a bird’s eye view and I was amazed at the number of barns at Gulf Stream Park. The entire park is truly beautiful. And i appreciated the live stream that Gulf Park provided to those of us unable to be there. Linda in Texas

Sad to see CC go out this way. Be hard to get owners to pony up next year, don’t see this being an annual event, but who knows. Arrogate is a nice horse, but once CC was dead, there was nothing else in the field. A lot of owners feeling stupid for running longshots and spending 7 figures to do so.

Not my “boy” but certainly a nice horse. As for the winner, he is the best of a mediocre crop. This race was easy, as CC was obviously done and came back poorly. The quality of this field was lacking as is your IQ, evidenced by your need to insult those with a differing opinion.

Whynotwest

No need to throw insults around. Anyone who is knowledgeable about horse racing knows that Arrogate is special. Far more than just the best of a mediocre crop. Someone making that statement should not be critical of another persons IQ. How’s that for a differing opinion?

It is my opinion, after being involved in racing for 40+ years as a trainer and bloodstock agent, that he is the best of a mediocre crop. That doesn’t mean he can’t beat nice horses, he just hasn’t thus far. There are no Seattle Slews, Secretariats, Foregos behind him. That isn’t his fault, but it is a fact. As I have a 150 IQ I can be critical of almost anyone’s IQ, certainly you who hides your activity as you are a coward and a troll.

Whynotwest

Haha and there you go again. Because you have a high IQ (or so you say) your opinion is now fact? Arrogate is special.

Whynotwest

I would also like to make it known that I agree with you about the quality of his crop, but that doesn’t speak to his level of quality or greatness.

Lost In The Fog – Robert Lee

It’s amusing that someone with supposedly such a high IQ doesn’t seem to understand that those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.

Whynotwest

Fantastic point.

Rachel

Wonderful to have had two really great horses’ connections willing to face each other, to have CC for so long…not one bit diminished…it was a long year for CC, a true race horse, the King…and now Arrogate…long live ( and race) the new king.

Bev

BB already reported he had to put a 3/4 shoe on Arrogate due to a hoof crack. WHAT is with his horses……always hoof cracks?? how do they get those? That’s what kept poor Dortmund out so long.

Erin Casseday

Dortmund’s sire Brig Brown had notoriously bad hooves. I would imagine that he inherited his hoof problems.

Southwest Dude

My guess is not all horses like the deep sandy racetracks in the east, California Chrome may be one of those. Horses can run pretty dismal if they dont handle the surface. Not to take anything away from Arrogate as he probably would have beat CC no matter where they raced. Two champions come along like these two rarely at the same time. We are lucky to be in the presence of such greatness.

Shyanne Rasmussen

Chrome trained over the surface, just as peppy as ever. But today? Not his day. All the cudos to Arrogate and the winning connections!

Lefty_Orioles_Fan

Chrome was acting up in the parade and just before he entered the gate.

Shyanne Rasmussen

Oh I saw it. He didn’t want to load into the gate and I think he was sweating more than the other horses. He looked a little too “aggressive” while they were warming up…. I’m not sure, but I think something wasn’t/isn’t right with him.

Lefty_Orioles_Fan

I am just glad Chrome can retire in one piece and it was a clean race.
With millions of dollars at stake, I thought maybe something straight out of the WWE was going to happen.

Lehane

If he was sweating up more than the others then, in my experience, that means that all was not right with him.

Shyanne Rasmussen

reports are now that he’s being taken in for ex-rays on his front right. …

trooper seven

fingers crossed.

Lefty_Orioles_Fan

Art Sherman reports that California Chrome not 100% in his right front.
Possibly knee. Nothing serious but will X-ray as precaution from Simon Bray

trooper seven

Hope that “nothing serious” is accurate. Those ladies are waiting for him.

Lehane

Thanks for the update, Shyanne. I had read that they were flying him out and then to top vet for x-rays and assessment. To my mind, Chrome should not be travelling when the real condition of his knee is not known without x-rays. So glad to hear that x-rays are being done now without delay.

Shyanne Rasmussen

They will probably do X-rays while they are in Florida before they put him on a plane. Depending on the “severity” of his injury, he might stay in Florida for a bit. But I think they want to take Chrome up to Dr. Bramlage.

Mr J

Hes fine.Pride is the only thing hurt

Poweshow

You know, normally I would agree with you and I think that athletes and coaches and trainers make excuses more often than not in these situations… but in hindsight, Chrome definitely seemed way off. He was warmer than usual, he didn’t want to load the gate, slowest break out of the gate maybe ever, nothing in the tank… I hate the excuse thing in sports, but again, in hindsight, I think there were some indications that something might have been off with the animal.

Mr J

There was excuse after the Belmont,first BCC, first DWC and Victors ride in 2nd BCC and now this. Enough already

Scott Patrick

Yes – he’s just a horrible horse, correct? A horrible horse we’d all love to own.

Bev

YUP, Art said AFTER……..well DRF reported that Art said he checked him out…….CC has fluid on right knee/ possible bone chip.

Shyanne Rasmussen

Well, the injury probably happened at some point leading up to, or during the race. It probably took a few minutes for the injury to swell up.

Bev

DRF reported AFTER that Art checked Chrome out and he had fluid in the right knee and possible bone chip. ewwww Poor boy.

Lehane

Yes, and that speaks volumes when he didn’t know the huge task of coming out of the widest gate.

Wild Oats

He trained just fine over the track.

Southwest Dude

Big difference between training and running.

Mr J

Of course

Lehane

Absolutely!

Meydan Rocks

Especially when trying to match strides with that big grey oil tanker!!

Kathryn Baker

great nickname

Pamela Salinas

I was thinking freight train but like your nickname better!

trooper seven

He is being taken in for a leg X-RAY. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Bev

DRF reported after that Chrome had fluid on the right knee and possible bone chip. So they’re sending him back home to Taylor Made in the morning. He’ll go to Rood and riddle to get checked out. I hope all it is……IS fluid/bone chip. I guess they can take the chip out. I’m SO glad he’s out of racing. when he took Second in the BCC….that’s a sure sign he needed a rest. He raced all year. And won in Dubai. NOW the poor boy CAN rest and be a horse. BREED. He will be VERY happy about that. LOL I hope he’s ok. He gave us SO many great memories this past 4 yrs. That’s a long time racing. He can relax now.

vinceNYC

Champions don’t lose 11 out of 27 starts

katwalk

“Champion” is a title that is used for Eclipse Award Winners. He’s got 4 of those statues on his mantel. I think he qualifies.

Champions can lose a heckuva lot more races than 11 out of 27… John Henry lost 44 races during a career that saw him take 2 Horse Of The Year titles, 1 older male title, and 4 turf male titles.

vinceNYC

Racings newest superstar…………

we’re watching

Superstar?? I needto see afew more races from him. Beats Chrome and no one else in BCC with not the best ride from Vicor, beats a hurt Cali Chrome in the Peagsus, a joke of a race except for four horses,and what else, when else did he race and win???

Give me a few more wins over more decent competition and maybe then he’s a star.
If he goes to Dubai,let me know.

Lefty_Orioles_Fan

This was a silly race and if Arrogate had been challenged he might have been the track record today. He had no real competition unfortunately.

Lawrence R

Looks me that he never will

Deborah Griffin-Sadel

Sorry to see a champ go out this way. Chrome balked at the gate and was weaving down the backstretch. Not his usual thing. Hope he’s ok.

Bev

no he isn’t ok.

Lehane

Chrome did brilliantly to get across as he did, covering a lot of ground compared to Arrogate who fortunately jumped well and went sweetly. Chrome used up a lot of energy at the start but what else could he do. He tried so hard but understandably got very tired. I’m totally against the whip and have a low opinion of Espinoza’s whip riding e.g. American Pharoah, Stellar Wind. Chrome was whipped just a few times (that i could see) and to Espinoza’s credit he put the whip away when he realised Chrome had no more to give. Chrome looked a bit wobbly at that stage and any more pressure on him could have easily resulted in an injury or worse. Chrome sent a message when he was refusing to be loaded – he’d had enough. Thankfully he came home safely.

Lehane

Art Sherman has said that Chrome is not 100% in his right front and it could be his knee – to have x-rays. Praying that it’s nothing serious.

Meydan Rocks

He’s a 6 year old with mileage. The stress of matching strides with Arrogate.
That being said, to me I loved Chrome more than I did Shared Belief but Shared Belief was an itch Chrome never fully scratched. And because of that I was afraid when big march ups like this loomed. Either way, Chrome has out performed expectations in his career. Go Chrome!!!

Mike_364

Anyone else feel that this was some instant karma for cc owner

dan gable

Fitting ending for the overrated California Tin. Hopefully, last we have seen of Martin.

Merrill

Pretty rude…you degenerate.

trooper seven

He’s a fool fishing for a reaction.

dan gable

Ok, Trooper Martin.

Lawrence R

Typical poor loser comment. Get a life.

dan gable

No losing here. Made sure I bet Tin out of money in winning tris and sups.

Lawrence R

No !!. Karma Smarma

Leonard

ARROGATE much the best in PWC & laid to rest who is the better runner. 7 starts over 11 million in the bank & counting. Chrome cracks under stress of having to race ARROGATE & throws in the towel early with no visible excuse.

Lorraine

Chrome did not crack under stress; just to ease up like that was not normal for Chrome.They are xraying his leg now!

trooper seven

Why react to a fool fishing for a reaction?

Mr J

In your face T7 !!!!

OopsyDaisy3

You probably are eating your words by now. Jumping at conclusions usually has
it’s drawbacks. Your second sentence is demeaning and arrogant. Before you pop
off next time, learn the facts.

Lawrence R

Are you blind or just ignorant ? C.C. was injured . Period. No visible excuse being your comment shows your complete lack of knowledge of horse racing. What do they have to do drop dead and hauled away?

swiss305

I see from the comments that others saw something not right with “Chrome” before the race. He was cow-kicking his left hind in the paddock and throwing his head uncharacteristically in the post parade. Also resisted loading. Espinosa basically pulled him up. Thank God he walked off the track but something was amiss. Hope he’s the best sire ever.

trooper seven

Noticed the post parade behavior …I just hope nothing is seriously wrong as opposed to just having a bad day.

Bev

has fluid on right knee possible bone chip. will be Xrayed in morning. IF ok will be shipped to Kentucky to Rood/Riddle. Poor guy.

lastromantibune

super horse. but I have to eat a little crow….I honestly thought there was no way WAR STORY could at best split the field . and he did ! ran a terrific race to finish 5th. then again Chrome didn’t fire but that takes nothing away from WAR STORY….

Lehane

Seems you didn’t notice Chrome refusing to be loaded nor did you see the huge effort by him to get across at the start covering a lot more ground, nor did you see Chrome tiring and travelling in a wobbly manner which means something was amiss with him.
And you have the nerve to say ‘Chrome didn’t fire’…..?

trooper seven

That’s not necessarily a negative comment. I first said, until I knew about the knee x-ray, that he might be fed up with racing.

Lehane

I wasn’t replying to you trooper seven – i was responding to lastromantibune’s comment.

Ruffian77

Lehane – you really need to increase your meds…LIGHTEN UP!

Lehane

Like yourself and others commenting here, i have the right to an opinion.
And just to make it clear to you, i’m at liberty to follow and adore a certain racehorse and if that horse’s well-being is in jeopardy i’m naturally concerned.

Bev

PROBLEM is….pro’s like Chrome DO what they’re told to do. Chrome tried to do it AND also tried in subtle ways to let somebody know he wasn’t right. Was worried. HENCE the heavy sweating. He never sweats like that. BUT I remember when Exaggerator had a high temp before a race but they wouldn’t let Keith Scratch him. Made him race and of course HE didn’t fire. STRANGE RULES. These poor horses have to do it anyway. Probably why they DO keep drugs around. CHANGE THE RULES. Geezuz. I’d like to saddle one of those jerky humans and MAKE HIM RUN the whole race. LOL

Mr J

Time for your meds,Bev

Meydan Rocks

O boy!

Bristling

What ? Wouldn’t let him scratch ? Who wouldn’t ?

Meydan Rocks

Let see hope Chrome. He wouldn’t want you to give excuses for him. He’s a warrior. Going toe to toe with Arrogate can strain the body badly.

lastromantibune

post 12 @ 1 1/8th miles at Gulfstream is now something like 0-51

Mr J

1 for 25. Big brown won there

Flag Is Up

Oh karma, thou art a b*tch!

Erin Casseday

Even though I feel bad for Chrome and truly hope he is OK, and I also feel bad for Art and team, know what you mean. To bad Karma had to effect more than one person.

trooper seven

Karma is a myth, something used by people who want to have an excuse for indulging in public schadenfreude.

Erin Casseday

Martin’s defender to the rescue. Knew we could count on you.

Cuffdaddy

On the NBC telecast video of Victor on the backstretch pre race galloping standing straight up in irons and looking like he was trying to get someones attention, he said something to the outrider and had a stressed look on his face, also I have never seen Chrome that wet ever. Obviously eased ,too bad.

Lehane

Seems that Espinoza knew Chrome had sustained an injury.

Jack Frazier

Take nothing from the winner. Wow. What a nice horse. Congratulations to the winner and his connections, great ride by Smith. Heard from Art that CC is or may be off in a knee. Hope it is nothing serious. Thanks for the ride Chrome, Art, Allen Dihigi and the entire crew. Congratulations to Baffert and his team on a tremendous training job.

Mr J

No one in the world was beating Arrogate today. Race was over at the 5/8 pole

Jack Frazier

Any doubt on his ability was erased. He is the real deal.

Tyrone Floyd

California Chrome was hurt, ran the best he could with the pain.

Mr J

Nope. Supposedly fluid on the knee. Arrogate broke him mentally

Bev

nobody ever BROKE a good horse like Chrome…..Mentally. haha You read too many stories. He has fluid on right knee/ bone chip. He should have stopped racing before this. NOW he is retired and will be taken very good care of him. AND will start his breeding Valentines day we heard. Cute.

Mr J

He saw the big gray beast and said “uh-uh”. I’ve done enough for these clowns. Cruising home then going to the shed.

DDAmasa

You’re a fool.

trooper seven

Not hard to figure that out. :-)

Mr J

You’re a loser

trooper seven

Ah, you got a reaction from the fool. Congratulations!

Tyrone Floyd

Art sherman said in a interview (TVG) that he believes Califorina Chrome has chipped his knee. Now here’s a question, if Chrome needs surgery and can’t mount mares until late in the breeding season is there a chance he starts training again this summer?

Lawrence R

NO>

Lawrence R

NONSENSE

todd fortune

Possible knee. Post 12 had nothing to do with him getting beat. He was in perfect shape at the half mile pole. When they got to the qt pole he was soundly beaten. Always finishes his races. Belmont, first BBC, and PA Derby. finished em all. Not right at all. Radio graphs will prove this point.

Lehane

How can you say that Chrome was ‘in perfect shape’ given his pre-race behaviour.
It is my belief that Chrome knew he wasn’t right for the high stress exercise ahead of him and the only way a horse can communicate is by its behaviour.

Ted E. Bear

You & the other “yentas” are too much, you all knew something was not right before the race because of his behavior, give me break! The only person who would know for sure by talking to cc, travels in a pink snail shell, he can talk to any animal and carry on conversations with them-Dr Dolittle

Mr J

Hahaha. Theyre ridiculous

Meydan Rocks

LOL. Oy!!!

Lehane

If you cannot read a horse by its behaviour, demeanour and any visible physical issue (e.g. excessive sweating) then you lack essential education in horsemanship.

Meydan Rocks

And Art didn’t see what you saw? Let me tell you. That 2nd quarter was what I feared. Matching strides with Arrogate and straining more than he should have

That’s what!

Curt Muth

I watched CC standing cool as cucumber with the pony taking in the sights then walk up to the gate, he hesitated when the crowed roared as he went forward to load that’s all.

Lehane

He more than hesitated, he refused. It was his 27th start and he’s used to the roar of crowds. He’d also sweated up, by all reports he was agitated pre-race.

FastBernieB

Definitely a bad day to have a bad day but these things are part of sport. CC’s entire career has been very entertaining on many levels for an extended period of time and I’ll miss him. He walked off the track when the race was over so I’m sure he’ll forget his aches and pains very quickly when he starts his new “job.”

trooper seven

Evidently more than a bad day. Art Sherman says there is fluid on his knee and might be a bone chip.

FastBernieB

Definitely a tough way to finish his racing career.

Meydan Rocks

Tough way to go but as he matched strides with Arrogate, I wondered what the cost would be.

Jay Stone

The torch was passed. Racing needed a superstar to replace Chrome and it got one. All the credit should be given to a great Champion in California Chrome and the great job done by the Shermans and the Taylors. Thanks to The Stronach Group racing got to see the race they wanted and abuse handle was achieved. The place was packed with a very diverse crowd who were very enthusiastic In their support of a great card. The concept was successful in many ways and with a year under their belt this group can only make this race and annual, successful event.

trooper seven

Jay Privman ‏@DRFPrivman ·
Art Sherman reports California Chrome has fluid in right knee, doesn’t think it’s major, but he’s off. Sherman: “It might be a chip, which we could take out arthroscopically. I knew something was wrong at the half. He just didn’t fire.” If worsens, Chrome will be X-rayed in morning. Otherwise, will get on plane as scheduled at 9 am and see Dr. Larry Bramlage in Kentucky

Mr J

Fluid on the knee,supposedly. Don’t be a drama queen. Chrome won 1 out of his 6 biggest races. Like I said he was a very good not great horse. And certainly not a super horse as you guys have mentioned

Lehane

Clearly you have no regard for Chrome’s well-being.

Mr J

Shaddup shaddingup.

trooper seven

Little difficult to be a drama queen when all I’m doing is repeating an objective report. But whatever floats you boat.

redo

You seem to be a little green when blogging about horses.
But at least you spell correctly.

Michael Castellano

Even with the bad post, you would think that a 100% CC would have gotten at least second. It had to have been the worst race he ever ran. There obviously was some issue. Have to credit Arrogate with running a fabulous race. Look for a 3 month rest for Arrogate. Hope he comes to New York for a race like the Met. Gotta get a picture.

Lost In The Fog – Robert Lee

Assuming he came out of this race in good order I’m expecting that his next race will be in Dubai on March 25th. We’ll see but I think they’re going to chase finishing off the BCC, PWC, DWC trifecta.

Michael Castellano

I’d really like to see more interaction between the East and West coasts instead of just cut throat competition by the tracks. Racing is really stagnant in New York especially under NYRA leadership in terms of any new ideas for bringing back fans to the track. Conditions for fans at Aqueduct and Belmont have both gone down hill steadily. Monmouth in NJ draws more on a weekend than either of the downstate New York tracks. I remember the days when you had to leave something on your seat to reserve it when you went to bet. And there were no seats at any level near the finish line. Racing has also lost its place on the sports page (including on line coverage) except for sites that specialize in racing. Football, baseball, even to a lesser extent basketball and hockey, have a national governing body and are capable of doing things in the general interest of the sport. Racing is powerless in that regard.

Merrill

The post, along with a possible physical glitch was just too much for Chrome. The race played out as I expected, and all along I feared that Chrome was going to gun and fail. I wish the horse well, and hope he is a success in the shed.

Ida Lee

I’ve been in shock. When I saw him acting up waiting to be put in the gate and as sweaty as he was and it was cool, my heart kind of skipped. I was so worried. He just did not look right. He had Arrogate behind a crowd and he was free to go…and he didn’t move, I was so worried there was something wrong…I had a flashback to Big Brown in the Belmont. Now he’s going for x-rays…I’m so glad Victor just saw he was in trouble and slowed down. I’m hoping it’s nothing serious and my precious boy is OK. The good memory of him I have in this race is an absolutely gorgeous shot of him in the post parade just before reaching the gate and he was stopped and the setting sun was hitting him and he looked like a new copper penny. I almost cried when I saw him. Please be well Sweetheart. P.S. Arrogate proved to be the beautiful Beast we thought he was …. great race Champ.

redo

Arrogate is the best horse Bob has ever trained. I think it was proved since November. Am I allowed to compare them since you do not like to compare horses from different years? Don’t make excuses for the horse. Chrome was beaten twice. And no he never was a great horse. A champ yes. The best before Arrogate. But that’s it. I rest my case.

Meydan Rocks

As incredible as this sounds, you are probably right. The Great Dana Barnes who rode the often crazy Point Given, silver charm, Game on Dude (you get the point). She has ridden most of Bafferts greats says on XBTV .com that Arrogate just might be tops of them all. It does t hurt that he carries his head low when working. She says that’s her personal favorite kind of style in horses. When they carry their heads low like Arrogate does.

Ida Lee

I suggest instead of resting your case you rest your mouth cause right now all I’m interested in is how is my boy doing.

redo

Typical response from an emotional person who knows little about this game.

Ida Lee

First, no he’s not the best horse he’s trained…maybe the best horse he trained last year…Baffert always says the same thing every time he’s given a super horse to train…Second, I am an emotional person….thus, I act as such, especially when dealing with people or animals I love….have never pretended to be anything else. And third, never said I was an expert on horse racing but I am an expert on recognizing the beauty and athleticism of the equine athlete…it’s all I need to know.

Lawrence R

Not a single horse that Bob Baffert trained in his entire T.Bred career has ever accomplished, in such a short time ,what Arrogate has done.

Ida Lee

May be true but 100 years from now we’ll be talking about Pharoah and maybe a handful of others who in over 200 years are the only TC Champions or maybe a few other Grand Slam Champions. It is written in stone (or make that concrete) We won’t be talking about a TB who won more races in a shorter amount of time. P.S. My comment in no way is intended to diminish Arrogate’s most impressive physique and considerable talent and all-around butt-kicking charm.

redo

There is no crying in horse racing.

Mr J

Scored nice on the super. It was outrageous that people thought CC could beat the mighty Arrogate. CC couldnt take his track with him and never should have ran at Los Al .Arrogate could be the best hirse since the Bid.

Tyrone Floyd

Art Sherman says California Chrome has chipped his knee.

David Sullivan

Where did you read that? Or did Mr Sherman tell you that personally? According to Jay Privman Mr Sherman said he had fluid on his knee which might be a chip. The key word in that sentence is “might”.

Mr J

Theyre looking for any excuse. Like after the Belmont,then both BCCs and now this.

David Sullivan

Well Mr J let me say I believe the reports that say the horse is “off” after cooling out and that would definitely be a reason for a poor performance. However I agree that after his previous losses I have read more ridiculous excuses than I have for any other horse in the past 30 years. After the Belmont you would have thought half his hoof had been torn off and in truth he was back in Sherman’s barn in 6 or 7 weeks. The right amount of time for a minor freshening; not for a major injury.

Mr J

True. At no point was Chrome ahead of Arrogate. I love action. I wish it was a stretch duel. But we all knew the race was over in the backstretch

Lawrence R

Not excuses .REASONS !!!

Mick McCuddahey

Same difference

Lawrence R

Not in the context you used it.

Mick McCuddahey

Nope in the context YOU used it.

J

BOB BAFFERT THE BEST TRAINER IN THE WORLD.
I AM NOT A FAN. BUT, THAT IS A FACT.

Mr J

Maybe the best ever. Fact,not opinion

Bev

ROFLMAO That’s why Arrogate has a cracked hoof already……had to put a 3/4 shoe on that hoof. WAIT. Like Dortmund he’ll be out for awhile SOON. Enjoy him while you can cause like I said before……BB runs the feet off his horses training to hard. Over training. A horse as good as Arrogate doesn’t have to BREEZE daily. Then when a race comes up……the horse is down. Wait….it will all begin to happen soon.

Lawrence R

Bev ,if you knew anything at all about race horses you would understand that hoof cracks are quite common., especially in rainy weather. Futher more you show your complete ignorance in constantly attacking Bob Baffert. How many horses run with cracked and brittle hooves? An awful lot thats how many.Though out these threads leading up to this big race all the know it alls attacked Bob Baffert. Well he just shoved it all the way down their whiney negative throats. It’s a shame Calif. Chrome didn’t get to run his best race ,Baffert might have spotted the problem before hand and scratched had it been his horse.

Meydan Rocks

Lawrence. You’re a brave man. I hide behind you. Sir!!!

Meydan Rocks

Hello!! But you’re not gonna win this one. Battert brings out the pitch forks in certain quarters. Luckily they don’t allow those in the HOF or in the record books!

Erin Casseday

Pitch forks?

Meydan Rocks

The mention of Baffert’s name causes the legion who despise him for – fill in the blank – reasons to grab their pitch forks and march upon the proverbial castle (just as the commoners did) back in medieval days gone. ;-)

Erin Casseday

Oh! Got it! LOL!

Mr J

Frankenstein

Pamela Salinas

Meydan, you have a delightful way with words.

Meydan Rocks

Why thank you Lady Pamela! You’re ever so kind,..with words. :-)

Pamela Salinas

LMAO! Thanks!

Lawrence R

But the commoners were right, not a bunch of losers.

Meydan Rocks

Well in Baffert’s case, the analogy is where it ends. He is a commoner from (nowhere Nogales, AZ) who WORKED for what he has. If you noticed, on the day that he ascended even higher into the racing firmament, with voice cracking from the emotion of it all, he actually REMEMBERED to THANK his benefactors (Pegram et al) who originally sponsored him into the Thoroughbred game. In this case, pitch fork carrying Legion of whom I speak, just might be “the losers”.

Lawrence R

I was implying the marchers on Baffert were the losers. Not Baffert. While what you say is true about Pegram, Bob Baffert was already a big success training Quarter horses. He was hardly a commoner from Az. He came from a ranching family and went to Arizona State College.. No disrespect to commoners in general, speaking as one myself.

Meydan Rocks

Gotcha! We are all commoners. You get to be royalty when your ancestors march on the Palace, roll heads and call themselves the new rulers. ;-)

Mr J

I’m calling out the “pro capper” called Stapes.Bashed anyone who thought Nyquist could win Derby. For 4 months he chastised anyone who doubted Destin was the top 3 yo. And he became a Chromie in October stating again and again Arrogate was overrated. He lost a ton trying to beat “that glorified allowance horse” in Travers,BCC and PWC. Hang your head in shame. Hope those salami sandwiches taste good

Lori Corrente

Horses KNOW .. if he ends up with a knee, he knew before and signaled as much. Sad.

J. Nasium

That race was soooooo boring. Arrogate romps, Chrome throws his worst race ever and 10 also rans completed the field.

Marvin Gardens

I wonder if CC would have run today if it weren’t a 12 million dollar purse? If you buy a slot for 1million and you horse has a knee do you try to make the race? Something to think about.

Meydan Rocks

Not when you can get 40k times 150 for three years straight you don’t

LongTimeEconomist

It probably happened during the race.

Marvin Gardens

It just seems that Art Sherman knew what happened before he even got back to the barn. It would be nice to know if that knee was ever x-rayed in the past, injected etc.

vinceNYC

So CC ran out in the Belmont lost both BC Classics and today clearly he wasnt the same horse.
He lost 11 of 27 races and up until today had essentially beaten Dortmund over and over and over this year. Bayern was the better 3 y old and Arrogate should have been horse of the year last yr.
Arrogate is a superstar , CC was more like a cut under Silver Charms caliber ..

Mr J

Dont forget he also beat up on Hopp and Imperative. I wish he came to Toga

kyle

Bayern wasn’t a better 3 year old. Chrome had an interesting and extensive career especially by today’s standards. And he goes out as the all-time NA money winner. That won’t last long, but on the other hand it will last forever as the pre-Pegasus mark. The other stuff I won’t argue with. And the Arrogate stuff is absolutely right.

gus stewart

As shoe said when jo tobin beat Seattle slew,, it didnt matter what race ss ran he wasn’t going to best jo 2day today,, he is a freak,, nobody gna beat that monster 2day but he will beat any horse right now

Lawrence R

Now that is an interesting fact. I was there ,sitting on the outside stand , at Hollywood Park up by the turn into the stretch. Seattle Slew should never have been in that race. He was a shell of himself.$50 K appearance money lured his people. I expected to see a champion perform all I got to see was a tired spent horse jog by up toward the Forum where he just stood in the shade of a tree with nary a warmup. J O Tobin then became a lock at ,I believe , around 7/2 .Hollywood Derby was the race.

Kathryn Baker

t to take away from Arrogate’s win. He is a fantastic horse. I do want to say that I expected it to be a battle to the finish with California Chrome. I thought it disturbing that CC did not want to load into the gate. The fact that he now has a swollen knee and possible bone chip explains his behavior before and during the race. This race does not take away from either horse, they are both champions. I’m glad that Chrome can retire and make babies.

soxbills

Great to see Canadian Shaman Ghost run a big race. Arrogate, a special horse!

soxbills

Arrogate. Lots of Canadian blood in him

Mr J

CC was 2-1 over Arro in the poll. That alone tells you the knowledge of most here. or lack of

redo

You can fool some of the people all of the time….the public bought this bill of goods….he was never great…..
They loved this horse for emotional reasons which is fine. But when determining winners and losers, you have to be able to read the racing form….

Lawrence R

You should”nt be so sure Chrome would”t have won. He was injured and that my friend is a fact. I expected Arrogate was a better horse and bet accordingly.
As far as reading a racing form is concerned ,if thats all you got ,you have no chance of winning on a consistent basis.

Lawrence R

I took note of that. Apparently they were not willing to back him with their pocketbooks. as I had hoped they would. However ,unfortunately ,Chrome was running with an injury
so we will never know . Will we??

Tom Davis

I wonder where GP put all the people? If any of the posters here were at GP on Saturday, can you comment on the comfort or discomfort of being at GP?

Bryan Langlois

I was there and one of the suckers (I guess) who bought the paddock/walking ring seats for 130 bucks. While I do agree that the prices were a little insane, especially for general admission, I do have to give props to those people who were working the seating area around the walking ring. They really did make sure only ticketed people were there and were very good at keeping people from standing at the rail and taking pictures, which gave us a better view when the horses paraded in the paddock. The crowds were not as big as I might have expected them to be, but I was able to move around a lot more through the different areas than I thought I would be based on how the tickets were described. Lines were not bad where I was and aside from trying to get back to my seat in the walking ring for the big race, things were quite enjoyable and fun for me as a life long fan who is used to the intricacies of being at the track.
That being said, I still think they missed an opportunity to really bolster the excitement and build up on track with the fans. They could have very easily been a feature done on each horse in the race between each of the 12 races. There could have been some sort of live twitter or facebook poll that would be shown on the screens allowing people to cast their votes for who they wanted to win. They could have been out in the crowd asking the fans who they liked and why. They could have had buttons people could get that showed if they were a Chromie or routing for Arrogate. There could have been a lot more than just a blue carpet picture area. I fail to understand why no track seems to really want to engage the fan between the races and make it a truly fun experience for a lot of them. That would make them really want to come back. I will say the music in between some of the races was nice, but again I always fear that when they blast music like that with the horses around, someone is eventually going to get hurt. Save the concerts for after the races, or move it to an area not directly in front of the grandstand. I am not sure if I would go back again next year with those prices, but I might.

Lawrence R

Ypur comments are well taken, Next year at Santa Anita the prices will probably be more in line with the Breeders Cup. The seating capacity at Gulfstream is limited as we all know. Sometimes a small gathering in comfortable conditions
makes for more success than a crowded mob of rowdies.

Arrogate

Arrogate reminds me of a cross between Point Given and American Pharaoh. He must wonder why he needed to fly to Florida to get his Saturday work out in…..

redo

Baffert told us how good he thought Arrogate was when his horse worked well in the mud and was quoted as saying that Great Horses Run Well in the Mud…..
Between the lines……..
But after the Travers, did not need him to tell us that…..

Saratoga Bob

The Pegasus was a great event bringing together two of the best race horses of the Century We flew in from the east coast to arrive early getting to the track on Wednesday to check out the parking areas and seating options for the Pegasus We were never more disappointed with the track attendants and security Personel .It was impossible to get any information from track personnel .We asked the parking lot attendant which lot was the Fortey Niner lot after using a map to locate the area the attendant did not speak English and did not know the name of the lot that he was in charge of !!Also spoke too valet parking attendant they could not tell us the cost for valet parking on Pegasus Day🏇The turnout for this event was around 10.000 at best the cost for entrance to the track was 100.00 without seating.My friends that live close. To the track that attended the races 6 days a week the entire meet decided to stay home because of the outrageous scalping of regular supporting fans .Less than 50% of the seats in the race book were sold at the 150.00 cost these seats provide no view of the track or the races !Building fan base at a time when you have two world champions competing apparently was never considered.Also the races that were carded on wen Thur fri sun were mostly made up of 6250 claiming races These horses could not win at Fingerlakes Laurel Pimlico PRAX Suffolk Downs had higher Ouality racing !! I will never go back to Gulfstream they have a lot of nerve calling their product World class racing Shame on the Stornach Group for blockcading there regular costomers with the outrageous admission fee👎👎💰💰We spend our summers at Saratoga that’s world class racing!!🏇🏇👍👍👍

Convene

The torch has been passed from Chrome to the new generation. Chrome has said, “I have written my story. Now you go write yours.” I look forward to watching that story unfold. Chrome loses nothing in defeat. He’s taken on the world and proven his class, speed, durability, versatility and soundness. He is a deserving champion and it looks as if it was an equally deserving champion who now carries into the future that endless dream. Happy retirement, Chrome. Thanks for the great ride. And Arrogate, onward and upward. The future now belongs to you.

peggy conroy

Chrome was not wanting to get in the gate looking very upset. Not normal. I knew he’s not run well. Hope they figure out what went wrong.